Working PaperCities

The Economic and Social Benefits of Low-Carbon Cities: A Systematic Review of the Evidence

Andy Gouldson, Andrew Sudmant, Haneen Khreis, Effie Papargyropoulou

This paper demonstrates that there are many synergies between aspirations for urban development and the imperative for climate action. It draws on over 700 papers, focusing on the literature on low-carbon measures in the buildings, transport, and waste sectors.

Authors

Andy Gouldson University of Leeds

Andrew Sudmant University of Leeds

Haneen Khreis University of Leeds

Effie Papargyropoulou University of Leeds

Overview

Over half the population of the world live in urban areas. This means that efforts to meet human development goals and sustain economic growth must be concentrated in cities. However, the pursuit of more prosperous, inclusive and sustainable urban development is complicated by climate change, which multiplies existing environmental risks, undermines the effectiveness of existing infrastructure, and creates new resource constraints.

This paper demonstrates that there are many synergies between aspirations for urban development and the imperative for climate action. It draws on over 700 papers, focusing on the literature on low-carbon measures in the buildings, transport, and waste sectors. This systematic review clearly shows that low-carbon measures can help to achieve a range of development priorities, such as job creation, improved public health, social inclusion, and improved accessibility.

Accelerating Low-Carbon Development in the World’s Cities

Cities are growing engines of economic growth and social change. About 85% of global GDP in 2015 was generated in cities. By 2050, two-thirds of the global population will live in urban areas. Compact, connected and efficient cities can generate stronger growth and job creation, alleviate poverty and reduce investment costs, as well as improve quality of life through lower air pollution and traffic congestion.

Nick Godfrey, Xiao Zhao

CitiesFinance

In urban infrastructure the investment decisions taken today will shape tomorrow. Despite the critical importance of infrastructure for urban development, financing to scale up smarter, more sustainable urban infrastructure remains an immense challenge, particularly in emerging and developing economies.

Demystifying Compact Urban Growth: Evidence From 300 Studies From Across the World

Gabriel Ahlfeldt, Elisabetta Pietrostefani

Cities

Most developed countries now pursue policies that implicitly or explicitly aim at promoting compact urban form. This report analyses more than 300 academic papers that study the effects of compact urban form.